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Brewers’ Jackson Chourio banned from drinking if Milwaukee wins NL Central

VaselineSeptember 19, 2024

0 6 minutes read

Brewers’ Jackson Chourio banned from drinking if Milwaukee wins NL Central

PHOENIX — The Milwaukee Brewers suddenly realize they have a problem.

It was not brought up in a single staff meeting, did not appear in an analysis report and was not even discussed in passing in the locker room.

But now, 173 days into the baseball season, for the first time the Brewers have no choice but to face the problem.

What on earth are they going to do with freshman sensation Jackson Chourio?

Oh, there’s nothing about his on-field performance that worries them. This is a guy who’s hitting .311 with 18 homers and 61 RBI since June 2 with a .929 OPS. Of his last 19 hits, 15 have gone for extra bases.

Chourio is also thriving off the field. He has been living with his parents since opening day until three weeks ago, and his teammates, coaches, clubhouse staff, executives and scouts can’t stop talking about him.

“He’s an incredible person,” said Brewers manager Pat Murphy.

Brewers GM Matt Arnold says, “You see this kid smiling all the time and interacting with his teammates. He’s just such a joy to be around.”

The Brewers are on the verge of winning the National League Central. Given all the adversity they’ve endured over the past 12 months (injuries to their stars, their manager leaving for the Cubs, their baseball boss leaving for the Mets, and the loss of a Cy Young Award winner), they can now throw a party they’ll remember for a long time.

That’s the problem.

You see, Chourio happens to be 20 years old. He won’t be 21 for another six months.

Even in Milwaukee’s beer-loving, beer-drinking, beer-swilling tradition, they have to abide by the same laws as every other city in America.

So, what’s a baseball club to do?

“Oh my God, I didn’t think about that,” said Brewers starter Freddy Peralta, 28. “What are we going to do? Man, we’ve got to hurry up and figure out what we’re going to do.”

Willy Adames, 29, says: “I know what we can do. We’re going to give him some apple juice. We’re going to have a champagne shower. And he’s going to have an apple juice shower. We can’t get him in trouble.”

Catcher William Contreras, 26: “Good question. He’s only 20, right? That’s a problem. So water. A lot of water.”

Catcher Eric Haase, 31: “I don’t think anyone’s going to enforce rules. He’s a big part of this team. He should be able to do whatever he wants.”

Chourio laughs when asked the question, thinking an ice-cold shower would be fine, until Peralta finally gets the hang of it.

“I got it,” Peralta said bluntly, “I got it. We’ll get some non-alcoholic beers and spray him down. You know, those O’Douls. That’s perfect.

“I know we have to do something because he has meant too much to this team.”

Chourio, the Brewers’ youngest regular since Hall of Famer Robin Yount in 1975, has been an invaluable asset to the team this season. He’s lived up to every ounce of hype as one of baseball’s top prospects, becoming the youngest player in history to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases in a season, posting a .276 batting average with 21 homers and 77 RBI as a rookie.

The Brewers, who began scouting Chourio when he was just 11 years old in Venezuela, gave him a $1.8 million international signing bonus when he was 16 and then signed him to an eight-year, $82 million contract in December when he was 19. It was the richest contract given to a player without having played a single game in the major leagues.

Chourio, who was told midway through spring training that he would make the opening-day roster, admits he felt pressure to live up to his contract. He was hyped as a future star, paid like a star and wanted to live up to expectations right away.

The burden became too much for him and after two months he was hitting just .210 and had a .581 OPS, with just nine extra-base hits and 47 strikeouts in just 162 plate appearances.

“When you have a rough start, it’s tough for everybody,” Adames said, “especially him, who’s 20 years old and just learning the game in the big leagues. It was super tough. Obviously, everybody was really pumping him up.

“In the beginning, we wanted him to figure it out himself. When he kept struggling, we said, ‘Okay, now we’ve got to help him.’ We said, ‘Don’t worry. It’s going to be OK. It’s going to be great in September.’ Then he started picking it up, he got warmed up, and he hasn’t stopped since.

“Now it’s like, holy smokes. This guy is the real deal. He’s showing the world what kind of player he is, because I’m sure people doubted him in the beginning.”

Even with those struggles, sometimes sitting out multiple games, Chourio showed no signs of weakness. He showed up early for pregame practices, kept believing this would be his breakthrough day, and even after a hitless night with three strikeouts, he left the locker room with a smile.

“We knew he was going to be a superstar, but it was tough for him to go through that,” Peralta said. “You could see he was frustrated, because he wanted to prove why he was getting paid. But he was still the same kid in the clubhouse. He was still joking around.

“I remember talking to him that first month and I don’t know why, but he listened to me. I said, ‘Bro, you’ve got to remember this, but at some point this season you’re going to hit .270 with 15 homers.’

“I tell him now, ‘Look where you are. You’re a superstar, boy.'”

Chourio has put himself in the center of the Rookie of the Year discussion, with a .311 batting average since June 2 and a top-five ranking in on-base percentage (.370), slugging percentage (.569) and OPS (.929). He has 61 RBI and 43 extra-base hits in the stretch, going from a .542 OPS in May to an .897 OPS in June, .878 in July, .925 in August and a 1.033 in September.

“This kid is getting better and better,” Arnold said. “We took a big gamble when we originally signed him, and he’s everything we hoped he would be and more. He has all the makings of an incredibly high ceiling. We’re seeing him do things in the game that haven’t been done at his age.”

Who knows, maybe that two-month slump was the best thing that ever happened to Chourio.

“I didn’t really expect him to light the league on fire right away,” said Brewers All-Star outfielder Christian Yelich, “because that’s not how Major League Baseball works. He came in with all those expectations and struggled. But to not let that discourage you, to make the adjustments and now look so comfortable, is really, really impressive.”

“He looks so much more confident, and he’s so dangerous up there now. To be able to do this at 20, think about what he’ll do when he’s got experience in two, three, four years. He’s got crazy tools.”

Chourio, who received about 50 congratulatory calls and text messages last week after achieving the 20-20 feat, is as excited as anyone to see what’s in store for him, but boy, is he having a blast right now.

“Honestly, this was a season of my dreams,” Chourio said through assistant coach/interpreter Daniel de Mondesert. “It’s hard to expect something like this season, but it’s something I really wanted to achieve, especially the homers.

“And it certainly makes it more fun that we win.”

The native of Maracaibo, Venezuela, is slowly getting noticed off the field, but when he’s not in the outfield at American Family Field, he’s at home playing video games. Call of Duty, MLB The Show and FIFA are among his favorites.

“I’ve had so much fun this year and so much support from my family and teammates,” Chourio said. “People back home are also excited and sending me messages saying they’re proud of what I’m doing. Honestly, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Well, except perhaps for a temporary exception when it comes to celebrating the division win, as the Brewers’ magic number is set at 2 for Tuesday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

It could be a night Chourio will never forget.

He says he’s never been on a baseball team in his life that’s made the playoffs.

“This is going to be my first party,” Chourio said. “Hopefully the first of many. I don’t know what they’re going to do for me. Hopefully they’ll have to have some non-alcoholic cups for me.”

Well, this time at least. He’ll be 21 next year after all.

“I can’t wait,” Chourio says with a laugh.

Neither do the Brewers.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

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VaselineSeptember 19, 2024

0 6 minutes read

Vaseline

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